Hymn to freedom: 5th World Nomad Games begins in Astana

ASTANA, September 9, 2024 - The opening ceremony of the 5th World Nomad Games, the largest event in the world of ethnosports, took place in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana. Each edition of the Games attracts more and more athletes and spectators from dozens of countries. This time, representatives of 89 countries from 5 continents have gathered in Astana. More than 2,000 athletes will compete for 97 sets of medals in 21 sports.

The President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the participants of the Games with a welcoming speech.

"Since ancient times, the nomads of the Great Steppe have lived in Eurasia. The new technologies they developed provided the impetus for the global progress. Five thousand years ago nomads domesticated the horse and shaped a horseback riding culture that spread across the world. Masters of the steppe created advanced weapons and crafted marvelous jewelry. Serving as a bridge between East and West, nomads played a crucial role in the rapprochement of various cultures. These spacious lands at various times saw the rise of the Hun empire and the Turkic Khaganates, and later the Golden Horde and the Kazakh Khanate. Nomadic civilization is truly ancient," said the President of Kazakhstan.

"Sport itself is a symbol of respect and solidarity. Its key purpose is to strengthen friendship among nations. Kazakhstan is known to everyone as a land of peace and coexistence. We have established close ties with both neighborly and distant countries. We wish to see other states also live in harmony with each other," the President added.

Now everyone is impressed by the Olympic Games, and these are the most regulated competitions, where every step of the participants is spelled out in detail - where to sit, where to stand, rules, comments on the rules, judges' interpretations, the brightness of the light, the number of television cameras, the size of the advertising slogan and the name of the clothing manufacturer on the equipment. Against this background, the World Nomad Games look like a hymn to freedom, organizational emancipation and flexibility. And this is one of the features of the Games. For example, an athlete today can perform in one type of competition, and tomorrow you can see him in another. In the morning the athlete goes to kokpar, and after lunch he can participate in the competition.
5th World Nomad Games will last until September 13.

Ilyas Omarov